Refractories range from traditional pressed or cast and fired materials to sophisticated engineered ceramics. Driven by the ever-increasing requirements and needs of the user industries, the trend toward development of more novel and advanced, value-added refractories will continue for decades. A changing refractory workforce of new graduates and experienced technologists grounded in the principles of chemistry, physics, mineralogy, ceramics, materials science, and engineering, who work together with others who specialize in sales, marketing, finance, management, and other disciplines, will be needed to serve the global industry.

The backbone of industry

So what qualifies “refractories” as the world’s most important product? Simply stated, all iron, steel, aluminum, copper, glass, cement, gasoline, and other important commodities, produced in million- and billion-ton quantities each year worldwide, would not be produced without refractories. Because of their critical status, refractories support a major portion of the world economy, and, as stated by William McCracken (Refractarios Peru (REPSA), retired), “Life as we know it would not be possible without refractories.” But, despite their mega-importance, the existence and uses of refractories are practically unknown by the general public.